On this day: Sachin Tendulkar registers his highest World Cup score
The 2003 World Cup in the African continent was a record-breaking one for Sachin Tendulkar. The Indian batting legend scored 673 runs in the tournament which still remains the highest tally recorded in a single edition of the tournament. He struck his first century in the 2003 World Cup edition on 23rd February in Pietermaritzburg against Namibia. It (152 runs) turned out to be his highest score in the tournament.
India began their campaign with an unconvincing victory over the Netherlands. The Men in Blue were then trounced by the Aussies thus causing a great furore back home. India’s campaign was back on the track with an 83-run victory over Zimbabwe. The team then travelled to Pietermaritzburg to confront Namibia.
Namibia, as expected, had lost all their previous games. However, the African team had put up a stern fight against England. Against India, Namibia captain Deon Kotze won the toss and invited the Indians to bat first. On a track that had a little moisture, it was not easy to get going. Virender Sehwag returned after a run-a-ball 24. Sachin Tendulkar and the latest entrant, Sourav Ganguly, decided to exercise caution.
After understanding the nature of the pitch, Tendulkar started to unleash his stroke repertoire. On a slow-paced wicket against Namibian medium pacers, the Master Blaster had to generate his own power. He crunched straight drives, cover drives, on drives while ensuring a constant flow of runs. Making the most of his reprieve on 35, Tendulkar went on to score his 34th ODI hundred and his 4th in World Cup history.
The Master Blaster then launched an assault on the Namibian team in the final 10 overs. The paddle sweeps and straight drive became far more frequent as Tendulkar accelerated. He crossed 150 for the first time in a World Cup game. He was then dismissed on 152 as he attempted a pull off a ball that stayed low. His innings was laced with 18 fours and he batted out 151 deliveries.
India reached 311/2. Captain Sourav Ganguly scored 112 not out. Rudi van Vuuren was Namibia’s only wicket-taker. The chase was never going to be successful. The African side lasted 42.3 overs while scoring 130 runs. Yuvraj Singh wiped out the tail with a spell of 4/6. India won the match by 181 runs.
